Speaking in Tongues Without Interpreting is Okay

It's okay, if you're by yourself. Or, if everyone is doing it at the same time, as in Acts chapter two, or at Corenelius household, or at Ephesus.

Yes, Paul instructed the Corinthians that it served no purpose for individuals to hold the floor, address the congregation in a tongue, with no-one understanding.

He said the speaker himself was edified by it, but no-one else was.

He told them that if no interpreter is present, he should either pray to interpret themself, or else refrain from addressing the church in tongues, and instead speak to himself and to God.

Notice that - he could speak to himself and to God.

So there is a valid use of speaking with tongues even when a person is by himself. Even when he himself doesn't understand what he is saying.

Paul himself said that he spoke in tongues more than them all, but not in the church. He did so when he was by himself.

And tongues were not always languages known to people in the audience. If it was otherwise, there would have been no need for the supernatural gift of interpreting tongues. And it would never have happened that no man understood a tongue. And in that case, Paul's instructions to the Corinthians should never have been necessary.

But notice that it was possible - in fact, common - that tongues were not always understood by anyone present. And yet, in such cases, Paul never said that the tongue itself was wrong. He only said that there wasn't much point in addressing the congregation in an unknown tongue, expecting the congregation's attention, if no-one understands.

In such cases, Paul conceded that the person speaking is nevertheless edified himself; and he admitted that a person who gives thanks in tongues even though no-one understands, nonetheless gives thanks well. He admitted that speaking in the tongue could still be useful, if the person chose rather to speak it to himself and to God rather than publicly.

So my video encourages speaking in tongues not to address a congregation, but to speak in tongues privately to God. It points out that we have the prerogative to pray in tongues privately whenever we wish. We don't have to wait until the Holy Spirit takes full control of us. He never does that. He gives the utterance, but He does so in response to a choice of our will to pray in tongues rather than with our understanding. That's what my video is about.